Which case established that the federal government may regulate interstate commerce under the Constitution?

• A. Wickard v. Filburn (1942)
• B. McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
• C. Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)
• D. United States v. Lopez (1995)

Answer: (C)

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) is the case that established the federal government’s power to regulate interstate commerce under the Constitution. The Court held that Congress can regulate not only the buying and selling of goods across state lines but also navigation and the broader channels of interstate commercial intercourse. It rejected a state-granted monopoly and affirmed that the Commerce Clause gives Congress authority over interstate navigation and other related activities, laying the groundwork for a broad federal regulatory power over economic activity that crosses state lines. Later cases like Wickard v. Filburn build on this by applying the power to local activities with a substantial aggregate effect on interstate commerce, while United States v. Lopez later introduces limits. McCulloch v. Maryland deals with federal supremacy and implied powers rather than commerce itself.